Thank you for the question regarding the rapture, “Is it true that the rapture is not considered the great and terrible day of the Lord which is to come?”
The passages of Matthew 24–25 along with Daniel 7–12 are subjects of great debate within theological circles. Churches and denominations teach their understanding of the Biblical text. There is no debate as to return of the Lord, but the debate is WHEN he will return..
The Pre-Tribulationalist teaches that Jesus Christ will return before the Great Tribulation begins in Revelation 4–21 while the Post-Tribulationalist teaches that Jesus will return at the end of the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24–25. The difference is that the Pre-Tribulationist believes that Christians will be “rapture” or remove from the Tribulation, while the Post-Tribulationist believes that the Christians will go through the Great Tribulation.
Due diligence is needed in studying the subject of Eschatology. Reading varies positions are helpful so that one can understand the pros and cons of each view. For me, I hold to a Pre-tribulationist viewpoint at this time.
From an overall viewpoint, the Great Tribulation is God’s judgment on the wicked people on earth. God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if he found 10 righteous people in those cities, but he found none. If God’s children are still in this world, would God allow his children to go through that fiery ordeal? It would seem that he would spare the world for his children’s sake. If God’s children are removed from the Great Tribulation, then the righteous judgments of God can fall upon the earth and its unrepentant people. The second reason is that the Church is the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5). Would God allow the Bride of Christ to go through the Tribulation? I like to think that he will spare the Bride of Christ from such suffering. There is a difference between religious persecution by the ungodly upon godly people. It is a different thing between God’s judgment that falls on the godly and the ungodly. Those are my two main arguments that Christians will not go through the Great Tribulation.
I have not cited specific verses on the pros and cons of each position because one can read them on the internet. It would be redundant for me to cite what others have already written. Some Christians have objected to the “rapture” view as being unbiblical since that term is not used in the Scriptures. One has to be careful in making those kinds of statements since the term, trinity, is not found in the Scriptures. It is a theological designation to explain a Biblical concept.
Which of the theological view is correct? I would like to think that most Christians would prefer being removed, rapture before the Great Tribulation than having to go through the Great Tribulation. If we see the rise of the Antichrist, the rebuilding of the Temple with its sacrifices, then the Post-Tribulationist view is correct. Presently, I see the preliminary stages for the rise of the Antichrist as our world becomes more and more hostile toward Christianity and the rise of the one world government and currency. With Jewish people back in the Promised Land, the unfolding of the events may further reveal the plan of God.
SUMMARY: Regardless of a Pre-Tribulationalist or Post-Tribulationalist view, Christians are called to live godly lives in the hope of Christ return for us as members of his Bride.
For more perspectives: